LOS ANGELES
A federal judge sentenced a Lancaster man to six years and eight months in prison on fraud charges related to a scheme to defraud the state’s unemployment insurance program and to obtain fraudulent federal tax refunds, officials announced today
U.S. District Judge George Wu also ordered Carl Artis, 55, to pay $598,000 in restitution.
Artis pleaded guilty in February to one count of mail fraud and one count of making false claims, officials said.
According to the plea agreement filed in the case, from at least August 
2010 through August 2014, Artis operated a scheme to defraud the California Employment Development Department of unemployment insurance benefits.
To execute the scheme, Artis registered fictitious companies with the Employment Development Department, submitted false wage information for individuals whom he falsely claimed worked for these companies, and then fraudulently obtained unemployment insurance benefits in the names of these individuals.
In addition, from at least April 2011 until July 2013, Artis engaged in a scheme to defraud the IRS by submitting fraudulent tax returns that sought tax refunds. In the tax fraud scheme, Artis used the identities of many of the same individuals and businesses used in the EDD scheme.
Artis, who had served time in the California state prison system, used names of other prisoners to file the false claims with the Employment Development Department and the IRS.
“Today’s sentencing sends a powerful message that combating unemployment insurance fraud remains a high priority for the Office of Inspector General,” stated Abel Salinas, Special Agent-in-Charge, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, Office of Labor Racketeering and Fraud Investigations in Los Angeles. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to safeguard unemployment insurance benefits from illicit enrichment schemes and conspiracies carried out against Department of Labor programs.”